The present invention relates to platforms. More specifically, this invention relates to a platform for supporting a computer input device.
A variety of data input devices for computers are known. These include, for example, a mouse, a track ball, a portable track ball, a stylus, a digitizer with a tablet, a light pen and the like.
One problem with using such data input devices is repetitive strain injury to the user. Straining to perform the same hand movements over and over again eventually leads to repetitive strain injury. The most common manifestation of repetitive strain injury among typists and data input device users is carpal tunnel syndrome. A similar ailment, wrist tendonitis, has also been associated with such use. The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in one's wrist through which the median nerve passes. This nerve carries sensations for the entire hand. It also affects the finger flexor tendons which link one's fingers to the muscles in the person's lower arm. The tunnel is formed by walls of solid bone on three sides with the bottom enclosed by the transverse carpal ligament, a tough, inelastic cartilage. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the tendons protect themselves from overuse. Each tendon is surrounded by a thick fluid filled sac called a synovial sheath, which swells with extra fluid to protect the tendon. Scientifically, this swelling is called tendonitis. When these sacs swell in the carpal tunnel, they can pinch the median nerve against the bones or the carpal ligament. The result can be loss of sensation in the hands and debilitating pain.
The popularity of the personal computer for use in office automation and computer assisted design has been found to cause repetitive motion injuries to operators of data input devices for such machines. Efforts to decrease the stresses placed on the operator's wrist or arm usually take place only after the symptoms have occurred. The need for a preventative and palliative support for the upper extremities of the operator has become more evident as more repetitive motion and stress related injuries occur.
Research suggests that computer users should limit their exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted by certain video displays. It has been suggested that a computer user should not be able to reach the display's screen from the user's seated position. Relatedly, it is common for a seated computer user, when using a data input device on a surface such as a desktop, to lean forward. An invention allowing a computer user to sit both more upright, with better posture, and farther away from the computer's display screen is, therefore, needed. An invention that permits the operator of a data input device to use the data input device while postured in additional and various ways will reduce the amount of repetition to which the operator's body is subjected, thereby reducing the operator's chances of sustaining a repetitive stress injury.
As computers which use a mouse or other data input device become more common, the work space of an existing office is increasingly more crowded due to the presence of added computer equipment. It is, therefore, often necessary to purchase additional furniture to provide work surfaces on which to deploy the computer equipment. This is particularly true where the data input device uses a mouse, a track ball or a digitizer tablet in addition to the keyboard found in a personal computer or a computer work station system.
There is thus a need for a platform for a data input device which platform would 1) provide a more ergonomic hand and arm position for the user of the data input device and thereby reduce the possibility of repetitive motion injury to the user; 2) permit the operator of a data input device to use the data input device while postured in additional and various ways, thereby reducing the amount of repetition to which the operator's body is subjected thus reducing the operator's chances of sustaining a repetitive stress injury; 3) allow the user to sit farther from the computer's video display; 4) allow the user to sit upright and with better posture while using the data input device; and 5) reduce the need for desktop space for the data input device.
Accordingly, it has been considered desirable to develop a new and improved platform for a data input device which would overcome the foregoing difficulties and others and meet the above-stated needs while providing better and more advantageous overall results.